Ranching Heritage Challenge Challenge Finals


Zoetis Ranching Heritage


Trixies Sixes and Justin Stanton swept the 4-Year-Old Working Ranch Horse.


The event attracted 134 entries that competed for just shy of $115,000. The Ranching Heri- tage program celebrates the working ranch horse. There


are about 350 ranches participating in the Ranching Heritage program. Horses bred by these ranches are eligible to compete in the Ranching Heritage Challenges, which this year will offer more than $90,000 in cash and prizes at six Challenges.


Ranch Riding The inaugural Zoetis AQHA Ranching


Heritage Challenge Finals closed out a huge weekend celebration of ranch horses, coming on March 26, on the day after the close of the Zoetis Versatility Ranch Horse World Champi- onships in Houston.


Open: The Finals kicked off with 23 entries in the open ranch riding. Sidney Dunkel of Archer City, TX, and Bobbie Can Do the previous day had secured their second youth world championship. Not ones to rest on their laurels, they wheeled back to post a career-high 228 score in the ranch riding.


The next highest competitor – which hap- pened to be herself – scored a 224.5 aboard her sister, Ashton’s horse, Boots Be Tuff. “I knew I’d have to have a good run in the open,” she says. “I knew I had to be aggressive.


He was really good for me.” Amateur: Bryan Lee of North Platte, NE, rode his homebred Lees Doc O Sunrise to the amateur ranch riding title. The consistent 2005 gray stallion is an excellent example of Lee’s breeding program, which he has competed at the VRH World every year since it began. Bryan’s wife, Christine, rode full sibling


Snip O Sunrise Lobo to finish fifth in the class of 18.


Howdy Smith and Cielos Electric Jac were second, followed by Rita Glaser Lauby and Circle Bar Pistolcat in third.


“I just tried to make the pattern strong and like the judges wanted,” Bryan says. “Sit- ting right, not letting my horse get away from me, keeping him in the bridle and showing his natural movement. That’s what I like to do is show how they naturally move, so they can just judge him on how he is to ride.” Youth: Once again facing off against


herself, Sidney Dunkel rode Boots Be Tuff and Bobbie Can Do to matching 225 scores; a tie-breaker put Boots Be Tuff on top. The horse had the previous day finished with a bronze trophy in the open division at the VRH World Championships with Ben Baldus aboard.


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